Proteus presents a production exploring the current obsessions with beauty, celebrity and body image, fusing together burlesque, new circus, multi-media and physical theatre into a total theatre experience.
The critically acclaimed ‘ The Elephant Man' is back by popular demand and is able to tour nationally & internationally to mid scale venues for long runs.
‘Is this our real national theatre?' The Guardian on Proteus' Summer 2007 Participatory Project, Modern Major General
The Elephant Man Available for international touring, mid scale runs and London venues
A remarkable journey by a remarkable man.......
Devised & Written by Mary Swan & Saul Jaffé Performed by Saul Jaffé Directed By Mary Swan Designed By Sam Pine Music By Paul Wild
The Elephant Man explores the current obsessions with beauty, cele br ity and body image. With more than 25 years of producing professional theatre, Basingstoke-based Proteus fuses together burlesque, new circus, multimedia and physical theatre into an innovative theatre experience.
The Elephant Man is the moving, poetic and ultimately uplifting story of the life of John Merrick. Proteus has created a version for the 21 st Century – a highly physical, one-man tour-de-force, which explores the journey of this remarkable man, from an object of curiosity and social revulsion to cele br ity. His life and tragic destiny is as relevant today in our image obsessed culture as it ever was.
They always say that the most remarkable stories are the true ones, and the story of Joseph Carey Merrick, The Elephant Man, is certainly that. Merrick 's story continues to fascinate long after his death and we are drawn to him because he makes us re-evaluate our own attitudes. Our current obsession with celebrity and ‘reality' stars makes it quite possible that Joseph Merrick would be gracing the pages of Hello magazine if he lived among us today.
Merrick's condition, now classified as “Proteus Syndrome”, is a little understood, extremely rare and variable condition; the cause of which is still unknown. The company worked alongside the Proteus Syndrome Foundation UK during the development of this project, which was formed by Tracey Whitewood-Neil OBE, a former social worker whose son, Jordan, suffers from the condition and was the recent subject of a Channel 4 documentary.
‘A technical and artistic masterpiece' The Stage on Proteus' Spring 2007 tour The Elephant Man
‘If you missed this one-off performance, I am sorry to say you really missed out.' St Neots Today on Proteus' Spring 2007 tour, The Elephant Man
